Improvement in draft-equalizers



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL SMITH, OF MATTOON, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN DRAFT-EQUALIZERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 172,514, dated January 18, 1876; application filed November 8, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL SMITH, of Mattoon, in the county of Uoles and State of Illinois, have invei ted a new and useful Improvement in Draft-Equalizers, which is fully described in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which-- Figure 1 is a plan view of my equalizer, and Fig. 2 an edge or front view of the same with the sin gle-tree detached.

The object of my invention is to bring all the draft attachments upon the median line of the equalizer taken longitudinally.

The invention consists in making the doubletree of two parts, one on each side of the equalizing beam, and joined together bystaples.

In the drawings, A is the equalizing-beam, which is attached to the object to be moved by means of the staple a. To the short arm of the equalizing-beam is attached the doubletree B, and the outer end of the long arm is provided with an ordinary swinging staple, 0.

The doubletree B is made of two pieces, b b,

which are joined together and rigidly held in position by the fixed staples b b. The doubletree is attached to the equalizing-beam by the bolt d, the equalizing-beam being inserted between the two sections 11 b of the double-tree, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2. Whiffletrees U are attached in any suitable way to the staples b b and 0, respectively. The short arm of the equalizingbeam is bent forward slightly, so that when the draft-attachments are directly in line with each other the long arm of the equalizing-beam will be nearly at right angles to the line of draft, while the short arm will form an acute angle with the same line.

By this construction the pivotal point of the double-tree is thrown a little forward of the main portion of the equalizing-beam, and,

in connection with the divided construction of the double-tree, permits the inner end of the latter to swing back some distance before it will be stopped by the beam.

With the construction of double-tree described above, the drat't attachment is located somewhat farther back than in ordinary draft equalizers, so that a long awkward staple upon the long arm is unnecessary. At the same time the line of draft upon the doubletree, as well as the whiffletree at the other end of the equalizing-beam, is in a direct line with the longitudinal center of the equalizer, instead of' from the top of the equalizer, as in the ordinary construction, and thus the downward thrust of the draft upon the equal: izer is obviated.

By bending the short arm of the equalizingbeam and using the divided double-tree in connection therewith, as described, I lind, by actual use, that the middle horse is prevented from falling back, as is the case when the double-tree can move backward but a short distance before finding a stop.

The whole attachment, constructed as described, forms an exceedingly cheap and efficient draft-equalizer wherever it is desired to use three or more horses.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The double-tree B, constructed of two pieces, connected together rigidly at their ends by open staples b I), substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

' 2. The combination of the divided doubletree B and the bent equalizing-beam A, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

SAMUEL SMITH. In "presence of- L. A. BUNTING, HEINRICH F. BRUNS. 

